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Meet the 4Cs Affecting Your Office Productivity

Ah, productivity ΓÇô the Holy Grail of the twenty-first century workplace. After all, who doesnΓÇÖt want their workforce to be more efficient? But is your office helping or hindering your team? Here are four factors to look out for.

1. Concentration

As we all know, open plan offices are great for aiding collaboration but the flipside to this is a decrease in our ability to find focus thanks to the continual chatter. This can be particularly challenging when working on an individual task which, letΓÇÖs face it, make up a large proportion of our working day in the office.

More and more businesses are finding the solution in breakout spaces and quiet zones which give workers a space to retreat to when the background noise becomes overwhelming.

2. Confidentiality

Closely linked to concentration, but not actually the same thing, confidentiality isnΓÇÖt just an issue for lawyers and accountants. Not having the privacy to conduct business calls is one of the biggest complaints workers make about the open-plan office ΓÇô and itΓÇÖs no wonder. While everyoneΓÇÖs work may not be top secret, knowing that half the office is listening in to your call can seriously cramp your style.

A simple solution? Private booths or breakout spaces provide workers with a way to conduct their phone calls without feeling self-conscious.

3. Controllability

Workers feel happier and ultimately become more productive when they have the ability to control their own workspace. However, this can mean different things to different workers and can range from simply having the option to choose your own office plants, to being able to adjust the temperature to suit individual thermal comfort (a lot trickier).

4. Community collaboration

While open-plan offices are great for aiding collaborative work, if you want really efficient collaboration, then building a community within your office is the way to go. After all, people work together best when they know each other well and enjoy each otherΓÇÖs company.

While you canΓÇÖt engineer your team dynamic to ensure that theyΓÇÖre all best buddies, you can provide them with the kind of informal spaces which help them to relax and socialise without having to talk business.

Games room for interdepartmental Ping-Pong tournaments and a well-stocked staff canteen for breakfast gatherings or after work events can go a long way to turning your workforce into a community. YouΓÇÖll reap the productivity rewards thanks to the boundaries this will break down.

How do you aid and encourage productivity in your office? Share your tips in the comments section below.